


Sometimes all I think about is you

by Rosetylars



Series: Cricverse [36]
Category: Cricket RPF, Sports RPF
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M, Memories, Reminiscing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:14:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28383048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rosetylars/pseuds/Rosetylars
Summary: Since Pat and Mitch have been together so long, there are bound to be places filled with memories of times gone by.The MCG is one of them.
Relationships: Pat Cummins/Mitch Marsh
Series: Cricverse [36]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1755766
Comments: 7
Kudos: 10





	Sometimes all I think about is you

**Author's Note:**

> A few days before the Boxing Day Test. Melbourne, December, 2020.
> 
> ***  
> The italicised paragraphs are excerpts from Now and Forever and To the end.

As soon as Pat entered the MCG change rooms, for the first time in a year, he was hit with a wave of memories.

In these very rooms, the Aussies had celebrated their 2015 World Cup win. Pat and Mitch weren’t even named in the eleven, that match, but the excitement and joy of the win were unmatched. Pat looked at the locker that had been Mitch’s, that day - where Mitch had pulled Pat down to sit in his lap, a hand on his waist, to hold him steady. Mitch had kissed him, in front of all of their teammates, too tipsy and in love to care about any reactions.

Across the room, Pat saw the locker that had been his own, during the Boxing Day Test two years ago, against India. Back then, the team had been decimated after the Cape Town incident. Pujara had batted for what felt like days, and Pat and Mitch bowled 60 overs between them in one innings. They had sat in that very spot, sore and broken, and Mitch had curled into Pat’s body, sure his Test career was over.

Pat remembered whispering softly to his then-boyfriend, promising him that there were better days to come for him, and the team.

_“It’s okay to be upset, baby,” Pat said quietly, rubbing Mitch’s back._

_Mitch wasn’t crying, but his voice shook when he replied. “This was my last chance, I just know it. My Test career is over.”_

_“Mitchy,” Pat breathed, pulling him closer so that Mitch’s head was resting against his chest. “We don’t know that. The whole team had a disappointing match,” Pat reasoned._

_Mitch just closed his eyes as he leant against Pat’s body, numb and heartbroken all at the same time._

_Pat stroked a hand back through Mitch’s hair, wishing he could take his boyfriend’s pain away. He noticed Shaun, watching them across the locker room, heartbroken for them but not wanting to interfere._

Despite Pat’s desperate pleas to the universe, after that match, Mitch had been spectacularly dropped as the vice captain.

Pat swallowed past a lump in his throat. The memory felt so tangible.

Past the lockers were bathrooms that had seen so much. Every shower cubicle had seen the boys share some private moments, taking time to themselves in amongst the pressure and heavy workloads they had faced, here. They had kissed by these sinks more times than Pat could count, and they had often shared words of encouragement or support when things weren’t going perfectly on the field.

Pat was roused out of his thoughts when Josh slung an arm around his shoulders.

“You right, mate?” Josh asked, concerned.

Pat swallowed. “Yeah,” he lied.

Josh saw right through it. “What is it?”

“Everything here reminds me of him,” Pat murmured, unable to meet his best friend’s eyes.

Josh squeezed his shoulder. “It’s okay, mate. This isn’t forever,” he reminded gently. “He and your over the top PDA will be back before we all know it.”

Pat couldn’t fight back a soft smile, at that.

*

They played a game of touch footy as a warmup before the training session. Pat half expected to hear Mitch’s protests of ‘this isn’t real football’, but they never came. He pictured his husband running off with a Sherrin, going on a hundred metre jog and recreating Buddy Franklin’s famous goal, kicking towards goalposts that were no longer there, this time of the year, and JL rolling his eyes, telling Mitch to head into the stands and collect the ball himself. 

When Greeny jokingly mumbled something about the rugby ball not being a real football, Pat’s heart split in two.

“You sound like Marshy, mate,” Josh teased, jostling Cam playfully.

Pat looked up at the mention of the name, before he could think. 

Before JL and his slightly out-of-character obsession with touch rugby, modified games of Aussie Rules used to be the Aussie squad's warm up, and there was always a footy in the dugout. In the Champions’ League, years ago, Pat had accidentally left Mitch with a cut face.

_At one point, Mitch had the ball, and Pat dove on top of him, tackling him to the ground, pulling him down with arms around his waist. The ball was dislodged as Mitch fell face first onto the grass, laughing, and the coach blew the whistle._

_“Patty, we’re trying to play non-contact here! Free kick for Mitch,” the Scorchers coach declared._

_“Would’ve been a push in the back, anyway,” the Sixers coach added._

_Pat rolled his eyes as he kicked the ball to Mitch._

_“Should’ve been fifty for the eye roll,” Shaun heckled from half back._

_Later on, Pat had noticed the injury._

_Mitch had a little graze on his cheekbone from Pat’s tackle, and Pat gasped when he saw it._

_“Was that my fault?” Pat asked worriedly, swiping a thumb over it gently._

_Mitch shrugged. “Barely felt it,” he said casually. “Good tackle, even though it was definitely a push in the back,” he chuckled._

When Pat looked over at the pitch, he remembered Christmas Day, three years ago, when Austin was tiny, and Mitch had helped him hold his little bat while Shaun gave them gentle throw downs with a tennis ball.

He also couldn’t help but think about some of the brilliant innings Mitch had played here - his brilliant World Cup debut against England, on Valentine’s Day, when he had taken his first international five-wicket haul. Pat blushed as he remembered what had happened in the bathrooms afterwards.

_They probably should have been less obvious, but Pat followed Mitch into the shower cubicle, pulling Mitch’s uniform shirt off before Mitch could catch his breath._

_“Fuck,” Mitch breathed appreciatively, as Pat latched his lips onto Mitch’s collarbone and sucked deeply._

_Mitch laced his hand through the back of Pat’s hair, gently tugging Pat’s head up to meet his lips in a kiss._

_Pat whined into Mitch’s mouth, tugging the older boy’s hips against his own._

_Mitch gasped at the friction. “Do you want to wait ‘til we get home? We don’t have any supplies here,” Mitch murmured with concern._

_Pat opened his eyes, his pupils already blown dark with desire. “Don’t care,” he replied, sucking on Mitch’s lower lip._

_“Baby,” Mitch breathed. “Are you sure?”_

_“Please,” Pat begged._

Pat swallowed, trying to think about other things. His eyes drifted over the boundary to the dugout, where he had sat with Mitch as Australia played in, and won, the World Cup final, and Bails had tried to force-feed them snacks.

_Right before Aaron and Dave were about to begin the run chase, George joined the boys in the dug out, and handed each of the them a chocolate protein bar._

_Pat raised his eyebrows. “These are practically confectionery,” he said warily._

_George shrugged, biting in to one of his own. “We’re gonna be sinking a lot of beers in a couple of hours. You’ll thank me later,” he winked, that cheeky glint in his eyes that Mitch had grown fond of._

_“Don’t jinx it,” Pat implored, but he couldn’t wipe the smile off of his face._

Pat hadn’t needed to worry. Nothing was stopping the Aussies, that innings.

“Oi, earth to Patty,” Starcy called out. “Are you okay?”

Pat blinked, snapping out of his reminiscence. “Yeah, just thinking,” he replied, shaking his head as if to clear it.

Starcy met Josh’s eyes from a little way away, and Josh came over.

“Still thinking about him, mate?” Josh asked gently.

Pat nodded, unable to lie to his friends. He rotated his wedding ring. “Hard not to.”

“He said before that everything here reminded him of Mitch,” Josh told Starcy.

Starcy gave Pat an apologetic look. “Probably tough not to, when you guys have been together since dinosaurs roamed the earth,” he reasoned.

That, at least, got a smile out of Pat. “Only nine years,” he replied automatically.

Josh rolled his eyes fondly. “You should call him when we’re finished.”

Pat shrugged. “He’ll be busy-“

“He won’t be _busy_ , Patrick. He’s probably waiting for you to call,” Starcy cut him off.

Pat knew they were right, as they usually were. With the promise to himself that he’d call Mitch as soon as he could, he was able to focus slightly more on their centre-wicket practice, and slightly less on which blade of grass reminded him of Mitch the most.

***

Pat called Mitch when he was back in his hotel room, alone, the opposite side of the bed still perfectly made, since Mitch wasn't there to share it.

“Hey, beautiful,” Mitch answered.

“I miss you,” Pat admitted without preamble.

Mitch made a sad noise. “I miss you too, Patty. So much.”

Pat sighed. “The boys told me I needed to call you. I couldn’t stop thinking about you, today. I mean, I can’t normally, but this was… more. Everywhere I looked, at the ‘G, there were just… so many memories,” he tried to explain.

Mitch swallowed. “Memories of us?”

“Yeah. Can’t even use the bathrooms without remembering what we got up to,” Pat replied with a wry chuckle.

“Those showers have seen some shit,” Mitch laughed softly.

The sound of Mitch’s laugh melted Pat’s tension away.

“They have,” Pat agreed, smiling softly. “I miss you. I just want to give you a kiss,” he murmured.

Mitch exhaled painfully. “I know, bub. I wish I could come down for Christmas. They’re putting on an event for the teams still in Canberra. At least Shaun will be here,” he said optimistically.

“That’s good,” Pat replied. “Must hurt both of you to miss out on Christmas with the family, though.”

Mitch hummed with agreement. “Everyone’s in the same boat, though,” he considered. “It’s not forever. Soon, I’m gonna have you back in my arms, and never let you go.”

Pat smiled at the thought. “I’d like that.”

They chatted until Pat’s heart didn’t feel quite so heavy.

Later, Josh and Starcy knocked on Pat’s door, popcorn and a movie in tow, insisting they were going to take Pat’s mind off of things. They had a pleasant evening, together. Pat couldn't wait until the day that they all laughed about him moping while Mitch wasn't around... but until then, he was so grateful for his friends.


End file.
